Web-dispensing machine



A g-- '12, 1969 s. L. KACZEUS 3,460,509

WEB-DISPENSING MACHINE Filed July 24, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N VENT OR STEVEN L. KACZEUS Aug. 12, 1969 s. L. KACZEUS WEB-DISPENSING momma 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 24, 1967 FIG? 1 1\' VEN TOR. STEVEN L. KACZEUS Ailg- 1969 s. L. KAC-ZEUS 3,460,509

WEBDISPENSING MACHINE v Filed July 24, 1967 s Sheets-Sheet :5

I N VEN '1 0R. STEVEN L. KACZEUS Aug. 12, 1969 s, czzus 3,460,509

WEB-DISPENSING MACHINE Filed July 24, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.-

IN WEN? OR. 7 STEVEN L. KACZELB Aug. 12, 1969 s. L. KAczEus 3,460,509

WEB-DISPENSING MACHINE Filed July 24, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5- I INVENTOR.

STEVEN L. KACZEUS 3,460,509 WEB-DISPENSING MACHINE Steven L. Kaczeus, Wethersfield, Conn.

(333 Vincelette St., Apt. 44, Bridgeport, Conn. 06606) Filed July 24, 1967, Ser. No. 655,374 Int. Cl. 1105c 11/00 U.S. Cl. 118-41 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE There is provided a machine for dispensing web-like material, such as paper toweling, which can be operated selectively to dispense the web material in either a wet or dry condition by exposing it to a liquid source contained in the chassis. In a preferred embodiment, the machine has the further capability of dispensing a heated Web for greater effectiveness and comfort.

Background of the invention Machines for dispensing paper toweling and other weblike materials, either manually or automatically, are in common use today, particularly in public places, such as hotels, restaurants, office buildings, factories. etc. Although such dispensers have been coupled or used with an independent or associated source of liquid for application to the web after it is dispensed, it is desirable that the dispenser be self-contained and provide both wet and dry web material to avoid a multiplicity of separate units or manual handling of the web for impregnation.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a web dispensing machine which is selectively operable to dispense web material in either a wet or dry condition.

It is also an object to provide such a dispenser which is capable of dispensing a web heated to an elevated temperature.

It is a further object to provide such a dispenser which has an automatic slicer for cutting web material from a continuous roll into predetermined lengths in cooperation with the web-advancing mechanism of the machine.

Summary of the invention It has now been found that the foregoing and related objects can be readily attained in a web dispensing machine of the type wherein a chassis provided with an outlet portion has a web source and conveyor means contained therein for carrying web material from the web source toward the outlet portion. The improvement provided by the present invention comprises means in the chassis for supplying a liquid to the web material and con trol means operable selectively to dispense dry web material or to cause contact of the Web material with the liquid to dispense wet web material. In a preferred embodiment the machine is further improved by the inclusion of heating means along the conveyor means for heating the web material prior to its passage through the outlet portion operable to elevate the temperature of both dry and wet material.

In one specific embodiment, the web dispensing machine chassis has support means upon which a replaceable continuous roll of web material is rotatably supported and permits facile access thereto. A reservoir for liquid is positioned within the chassis along the path of the web through the conveyor means and a cylinder is rotatably mounted within the reservoir for receiving and conveying web material through the liquid in the reservoir. The control means is positioned at a point along the path of the conveyor means ahead of the cylinder for selectively diverting web material onto the cylinder from a direct path 3,460,509 Patented Aug. 12, 1 969 or course from that point to the outlet portion, and auxiliary conveyor means is provided to carry the web material through the liquid in the reservoir in cooperation with the cylinder and thereafter to a point in the path of the conveyor means beyond the control means and along the direct course to the outlet portion. To cut the continuous strip of web material into predetermined lengths, a slicer is positioned ahead of the control means.

Provision for wet or dry web material Among the most advantageous features of the present invention is its capability for dispensing web material which may be either wet or dry. This requires that the dispensing machine not only have an internal source of liquid but also have means for selectively contacting the web with liquid in the liquid source. Such means will be described more fully hereinafter.

Examples of the mechanisms by which wetting of the web material can be effected include a baffled spray device which is actuated by suitable means when a wet sheet is desired. As a second possibility, contact rollers are used which are capable of transferring the liquid from a source to the web material by contact therewith. In such a method, control means for the flow of liquid to the rollers or means for positioning the rollers relative to the web can be used to selectively control exposure of the web to the liquid. The liquid may be fed to the interior of the rollers and pass through the periphery thereof. The roller may rotate through, or in contact with another roller rotating through, a bath or reservoir of the liquid so as to provide a surface layer of liquid on the roller for absorption by the web material passing thereover. The preferred mechanism for wetting the web material, however, involves the provision of a reservoir for the liquid impregnant into which the web material can be selectively introduced. Such a reservoir may take a variety of forms but is most conveniently a tank large enough to contain a web-receiving cylinder rotatable therein.

The container for the liquid may be constructed of any suitable material, such as hard rubber, various plastics, stainless steel, etc., depending upon the nature of the liquid to be contained therein. It should be provided with a conduit by which replenishment of the liquid filling is facilitated, or when water is to be the liquid medium or the primary component thereof, the reservoir can be attached directly to a continuous source thereof by a conduit. In addition, the container should be provided with means for conveying overflow liquid out of the machine to prevent damage thereto as well as a drain for emptying the container.

In a highly effective embodiment of the invention, a cylinder rotates within the liquid reservoir for receiving the web material and transporting it through the liquid. To provide maximum exposure of the web material to the liquid, the cylinder is most desirably hollow so that the liquid can flow therethrough, and when the web material is of low absorbency, it is advantageous to provide a foraminous surface on the cylinder to facilitate further the thorough wetting of the web. The cylinder can be constructed of any suitable material, e..g., rigid plastic, metal, etc., a very beneficial choice being aluminum since it is lightweight, corrosion-resistant and yet of sufficient strength and rigidity for efiicient operation. When a solution of another agent in water or a non-aqueous liquid medium is used, materials other than aluminum may be found to be more durable.

Auxiliary conveyor means should be provided to cooperate with the cylinder to convey the web material through the liquid. Individual drive means can be provided for both the cylinder and the associated conveyor means; however, it is usually more convenient to drive only the cylinder and to drive the auxiliary conveyor means therefrom, or vice versa.

The means for selecting between wet and dry material may assume a variety of forms depending upon the particular method by which wetting is effected. When the web material is to be introduced into a container of the liquid, the selectively operable control means desirably comprises a path-directing device positioned in the conveyor means. Such a device will normally be a mechanical member operable between two positions, one of which will allow direct passage of the web material to the outlet portion and the other of which will divert the web material into the container. A member with an electrically actuated solenoid is exemplary of the ways in which a device of this type can be opreated. It is also possible to employ suction means or an air blast to direct the web material along the chosen path. It should be appreciated that dry material will normally be dispensed simply by not contacting the web material with the liquid supply.

Numerous liquids can be employed as impregnants for the web material depending upon the use to which the web is to be put. Most conveniently the impregnant will be water since a supply thereof is readily available; however, to satisfy certain requirements, it may be desirable to use aqueous solutions of various agents such as soap or other cleansing aids. Alternatively, non-aqueous liquids can be employed for special purposes, or the web material can be impregnated with a perfume or deodoranttype liquid. The web dispensing machine of the present invention is not limited to use wth toweling material, or toilet tissue so that the choice of impregnant will also depend somewhat upon the type of web material dispensed.

Web supply The source from which the web material is conveyed initially is not critical to the invention and will depend entirely upon the design of the machine and upon considerations of convenience and economy. Thus, as the source for web material, a stack of precut lengths thereof can be utilized, from which individual sheets are removed and conveyed through the machine. More desirably, however, the web supply will be a continuous roll of material which is unwound as it is consumed and cut into proper lengths by a slicer provided within the machine. This alternative not only facilitates variation in the length of the sheets dispensed by suitable length adjusting means but also makes the web material more convenient to handle and allows storage in a smaller space. Such a roll is supported in the housing by suitable means such as an axle or shaft inserted through the center of the roll and journalled within the chassis. The roll of web material could also be supported upon a set of rollers upon which it is free to rotate. While it is essential that the support means for the web supply provided adequate support and allow rotation, such means should also allow easy access to the roll to facilitate replenishment of the material after the supply has been depleted.

When the web material is supplied from a continuous roll, it is necessary, as was previously indicated, to provide a slicer. Although many variations are possible, the slicer can comprise a pair of blades pivotably connected at one end so that at least one blade can move to cut the web by a scissors-like action. Cutting should be coordinated with the other mechanisms in the dispensing machine so that the Web is sliced in the proper sequence during the dispensing cycle. Regardless of the source of web material, feed means between the web source and web wetting mechanism is provided. Thus, the feed means may comprise the cutting device previously described and feed conveyor means associated therewith, or it may be any other mechanism for supplying sheets or web material, such as by removing them from a precut stack thereof one at a time and serially conveying them in a flow path toward the web wetting mechanism and outlet 4 The heater When the machine includes a heater, any means for heating the web prior to its being dispensed can be employed, suitable means being electric coils, infra-red lamps, etc. The heating means should be disposed along the conveyor just ahead of the outlet so that the web material is delivered to the recipient while it is still at a desirable temperature. Normally, it will be advantageous to provide a reflector to direct the heat from the source to the web material. It is especially desirable for optimum efiiciency to provide a thermal plate, such as a black body, having a radiating surface opposite the source, positioned so that the Web material passes between the source and the place. With such an arrangement, the heat source can be actuated for a period of time prior to passage of the web material between it and the thermal plate, thereby heating the black body. Then, when the web material passes therebetween, it is heated both by the heater and by radiation from the black body. In addition to the foregoing elements, a fan should be provided to circulate the heat and to dissipate it when it is no longer desired.

The conveyor means In addition to the previously mentioned auxiliary conveyor means cooperating with the cylinder to carry the web material through the reservoir, when such an arrangement is employed, the machines of the present invention must have means for transporting the web material from the source through the remainder of the machine and through the outlet portion provided in the chassis. Such additional means will normally include a conveyor portion from the web source to the point at which exposure to the liquid is directed and another conveyor portion from that point to the outlet portion. Means will also be provided for carrying the web along a path which will allow dispensing of dry material, and this conveyor may be at least in part coextensive with the one from the wetting means to the outlet. When a continuous source of web is employed, it will be apparent that feed conveyor means must be provided from the web source to the cutter and may operate to deliver the cut length from the cutter to the subsequent parts of the machine. The conveyor means may consist of pairs of rotating rollers frictionally engaging the web material therebetween, or it may comprise a belt and pulley arrangement. The means employed will depend largely upon the design of the machine, and the proper choice thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art. It will be appreciated that the term conveyor means as used herein broadly encompasses one or more means for transporting the web material between two or more locations.

Brief description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a web-dispensing machine embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view thereof along the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the alternate position of the path-directing member of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the machine of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a top view thereof with the housing broken away for viewing the internal operating mechanism;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view to an enlarged scale of the clutch-operating lever thereof;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view to an enlarged scale of the bank of cams in FIGURE 5 and of the slicer assembly and cut-off switch; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary sectional view to an enlarged scale of the slicing cycle control mechanism of FIGURE 7.

Description of the preferred embodiment In the attached drawings, there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention which will not only selectively provide wet or dry material but also heat it if so desired. A chassis generally designated by the numetal is provided with an outlet portion 12 which is in part defined by a hood 14. A roll of web material 16 is rotatably mounted on an axle 18 which extends through the core 17 of the web roll 16 and which has its end portions journaled in the slots 21 in the frame portions 20 and secured therein by means of latches 22. Springs 24 which extend between studs 26 on frame portions 20 and studs 28 extending from the latches 22 normally hold the latches 22 in locking position but the latch 22 may be pivoted into an alternative loading position shown in phantom line in FIGURE 4. The springs 24 maintain the latch in the loading position by reason of the toggle overcenter action.

A tank 30 is provided in the chassis 10 to hold and supply the liquid impregnant to the web material and a funnel 31 providing a conduit from the top wall of the chassis to a point over the tank 30 is provided for introducing the liquid thereinto conveniently. A sight glass liquid level indicator 32 communicating with the bottom of tank 30 is provided, and an overflow conduit 34 communicates with the upper part of the tank 30 and runs directly into the exit tube 44 to ensure safe removal of excess fluid. Also provided in communication with the lower surface of the tank 30 is a drain pipe 36 which has a valve 38 for releasing liquid from the tank 30 when desired by turning the knurled handle 40 on the valve stem 42. As can be seen, the lower portion of the drain pipe 36 is in communication with the exit tube 44 which channels the liquid out of the mechanism.

To cut the web material from the continuous roll 16 into convenient lengths, there is provided a slicing assembly consisting of a movable blade 46 which cooperates with a stationary blade 48, best seen in end view in FIG- URE 2. As is best illustrated in FIGURE 4, the movable blade 46 is pivotably connected to the stationary blade 48 by means of a threaded bolt 50 extending through one end of both blades 46, 48. To maintain the blades 46, 48 in close proximity, a helical spring 54 is mounted about the shaft of bolt 50 with one end thereof bearing against the movable blade 46 and biasing it against the stationary blade 48, and the other end thereof bears against the nut 52 threaded on the bolt 50. It will be appreciated that by this arrangement the tension on the movable blade 46 is variable by threaded adjustment of the nut 52. As is seen in FIGURE 1, a tie-bar 56 is secured to the other end of the movable blade 46 by the pin 58 so as to pivot blade 46 with respect to blade 48 by moving the tie bar 56 up and down.

As is illustrated in FIGURE 2, the reservoir 30 contains a liquid 60 and has mounted therein for rotational movement a cylinder generally designated by the numeral 62 having a cylindrical element 64 supported on the rotatably mounted hub '66 by spoke members 68. Above the level of liquid 60 and in tangential contact with the surface of the cylindrical element 64 for rotation in cooperation therewith are the pressure roll 70 and the pickup roll 72.

As seen in FIGURES 2 and 3 the path directing member, generally designated by the numeral 74, has a pair of leg portions converging to a leading edge 76 and providing a platform surface 78 and a deflection surface 80. The path directing member 74 rests upon the cam 82 and may be moved vertically by rotation thereof. As will be described more fully hereinafter, vertical displacement of the path directing member 74 is the means by which selection between wet or dry web material is accomplished.

As is best seen in FIGURE 2, a heating element in the form of a heat-radiating lamp 84 is positioned within a reflector 86 which directs the heat from the lamp toward the path along which the web material passes. End caps 6 88 are provided on the chassis at the ends of the lamp 84 as seen in FIGURE 3.

The drive assembly for the mechanism includes a motor 90 which has a shaft 92 upon which is secured a pinion 94 and a fan 96. By engagement with the pinion 94, the sub-mechanisms of the machine are driven while the fan 96 serves to circulate and dissipate heat that might otherwise build up to undesirable levels.

A switch 98, which is actuated by the trip 100, detects the presence of web material between the guide plates 102 and is in electrical connection with indicator light 104, best seen in FIGURE 4, to indicate the presence or absence of web material between the guide plates 102. Alternatively, the switch 98 may be in electrical connection with a primary circuit of the mechanism so that the web dispensing machine will not operate when no web material is contained therein.

On the front panel of the chassis 10, a set of pushbutton switches 106, 108 is provided in addition to a twoposition selector switch 110. One of the switches 106, 108 initiates the dry cycle, and the other initiates the wet cycle. The two position switch 110 is used to choose between a hot or a cold web product.

After initiation of the desired Wet or dry cycle by either of switches 106, 108, web material is unwound from the roll 16 and passes over the stationary positioning rod 112 and between the rotatably mounted pressure rolls 114, 116 which are mounted for cooperative rotation upon shafts 118, 120 respectively. The path of the web material is shown in dotted line. The web material then travels between the guide plates 102 and over trip 100 which is thereby depressed. The web material then passes between feed conveyor means which consists of the pair of driving rolls 122, 124 rotatably mounted in frictional engagement therewith upon the shafts 126, 128 drivingly engaged with motor 90 thereby providing motivation for the web material from the roll 16 thereof up to the cutting assembly comprising blades 46, 48.

After passing between blades 46, 48, the web material is deflected by plate 130 into the nip of additional conveyor means comprising continuous belts 132, 134 mounted for movement in close surface relationship upon pulleys 136 mounted for rotation upon shafts 144. As is best seen in FIGURE 1, each belt 132, 134 is in reality a series of belts spaced laterally upon a plurality of pulleys 136 mounted upon the shafts 144 which are driven by the motor 90 by means not shown, to convey the web material from a point beyond the slicing blades 46, 48 up through the guide plates 152, 153.

After passing between guide plates 152, 153 the web material is introduced into the nip between the pressure roll 154 on the shaft 156 and the continuous belt 158 which is driven by the pulleys 160 on the shafts 170. As is shown in FIGURE 2, the leading edge 76 of path directing member 74, bears upon the surface of the pressure roll 154 so as to lift the web material therefrom and cause it to be conveyed along its platform surface 78 by action of the belt 158. It is again to be noted, with reference to FIGURE 1, that belt 158 is in reality a series of laterally spaced belts positioned on a plurality of pulleys 160 mounted upon shafts 170.

From the platform 78, the web material passes into the nip formed between the belt 158 and the cooperating belt which is driven on the pickup roll 72 and pulleys 182 which are rotatably mounted upon shafts 186 and 188 respectively. As in the case of belts 132, 134 and 158, the belt 180 is also comprised of a plurality of laterally spaced belts driven over a plurality of pulleys 182 on the shafts 186 and 188. As the web material passes outwardly from the belts 158 and 180, it is directed outwardly of the chassis 10 through the outlet portion 12 by the curved surface of the hood 14.

It will be readily apparent that the mode of operation just discussed is that whereby a sheet of dry web material is provided. Now, with particular reference to FIGURES 2 and 3, the mode whereby wet web material is obtained will be described. By depressing the other of push-button switches 106, 108, the cam 82 is rotated from the position shown in FIGURE 2 to the position shown in FIGURE 3 to initiate the wet cycle. The movement of the cam 82 causes the cam arm 192 to push the pathdirecting member 74 to its upper position. When the path-directing member 74 is in this position the web material, after passing between the belt 158 and pressure roll 154, is diverted by the deflection surface 80 of pathdirecting member 74 into the nip between the cylindrical element 64 and the belt 196 which rotates in surface contact with a portion of the periphery of cylindrical element 64 and over pulleys 198 and which is similarly comprised of a plurality of axially spaced belts on shafts 206. After being conveyed through the liquid 60 in the tank 30 by the cooperative action of the cylindrical element 64 and auxiliary conveyor means comprising the belt 196, the web material passes into the nip between the pressure roll 70 and cylindrical element 64 which removes excess liquid, and is removed from the surface of the cylindrical element 64 by the deflector 208 and the pickup roll 72 which is, for this purpose, fabricated of a highly polished metal. The pickup roll 72 is biased against the cylinder 62 by a pair of U-shaped springs on each end of the shaft 186, only one of the U-shaped springs 73 being shown in FIGURE 4. The belts 180 rotate in depressions (not shown) in the pickup roll 72 and thereby tend to force the web material away from the surface of the pickup roll 72 and into the nip formed between the belts 180, 158. Thereafter, the Web material is conveyed through the outlet portion 12 as in the case of the dry web material.

For the mechanism to operate effectively it is of course necessary to perform the various functions therein in properly timed sequences. Thus, the conveyor means, the slicing assembly, and the rotating cylinder operate in timed relationship with one another so that the web material is conveyed through the mechanism and delivered to the consumer in the condition desired. The means whereby these functions are performed, in accordance with the present invention, is described hereinafter with additional reference to the remaining figures of the drawings.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 5, the drive connections from the motor 90 to the various sub-mechanisms of the machine are depicted in detail. In meshing engagement with the pinion 94 mounted upon the shaft 92 of the motor 90 is the pinion 214 which in turn is mounted upon the shaft 216 journaled in the U-shaped member 218. Also mounted upon the shaft 216 is the bevel gear 220 which is in meshing engagement with the complementary bevel gear 222 mounted with the pinion 224 on a common shaft 226. It will be readily apparent that rotation of shaft 216 will cause rotation of shaft 226 by the transmission of power through bevel gears 220, 222. Also mounted upon shaft 226 is a worm gear 228 which is in meshing engagement with the pinion 230 on the perpendicularly disposed shaft 232. The shaft 232 has four cams 234, 236, 238, 240 mounted thereon for rotation thereby, and a helical spring 242 which is positioned between the cams 238 and 240 for a purpose to be described hereinafter. The cams 234, 236, 238 have camming surfaces 244, 246, 248 respectively while cam 240 has dual camming surfaces 250 and 252. In meshing engagement with the pinion 224 is a pinion 254 on the shaft 256 to effect rotation thereof.

The shafts 226, 256, extend through bracket 258 and have clutch driving members 260, 262 mounted respectively thereon. Axially aligned with the clutch driving members 260, 262 are friction plates 264, 266 respectively which are fixed on shafts 268, 270 for rotation therewith, but which are slidable axially relative thereto. Also mounted on the shafts 268, 270 are pulleys 272, 274 which receive belts 366, 370 respectively (shown in FIGURE 4) through which power is transmitted to the various conveyor means within the machine. The friction plate 264 and pulley 272 commonly mounted upon the shaft 268 are urged away from frame portion 276 and toward the clutch driving member 260 by the action of the helical spring 278 which is also mounted upon the shaft 268. In the position depicted in FIGURE 4, motion in the direction urged by the spring 278 is resisted by the clutch operating lever generally designated 280. Similarly, the spring 282 tends to urge the friction plate 266 and the pulley 274 away from the frame portion 276 and is resisted by clutch operating lever 284.

The details of the construction of the lever 284 (which is a mirror image of lever 280) are illustrated in FIGURE 6, and it consists of a yoke portion 286 and a cam follower wheel 288 which is attached to the base of the yoke portion 290 by the arm portion 292. In assembly, the yoke 294 of the yoke portion 286 straddles the shaft 270 and bears upon a surface of the clutch friction plate 266. Similarly lever 280, which is spaced from lever 284 by a spacer 296, has a cam follower wheel 298, a base portion 300, an arm 302 and a yoke 304 which straddles shaft 268 and bears upon a surface of clutch friction plate 264. It will be appreciated that, when cam followers 288, 298 encounter a depression in the camming surfaces of cams 240, 238, presented by rotation of the bank of cams on shaft 232, the generally downward movement of the cam followers 288, 298 will shift the yokes 294, 304 laterally, since the clutch operating levers 280, 284 are pivotably mounted, and will thereby remove resistance to the springs 27 8, 282 and allow contact to be established between the friction plates 264, 266, and the clutch driving members 260, 262 respectively. Through such contact, the pulleys 272, 274 are rotated and driving force is thereby conveyed to the various other portions of the mechanism.

FIGURE 7 depicts the bank of cams shown in FIGURE 5 and various of the operating elements which are associated therewith. Looking first at cam 234, it will be seen that its surface 244 communicates with a cam follower wheel 306 which is attached by the arm 308 to the switch 310. Switch 310 is a cutoff switch which serves to stop the mechanism at the completion of a cycle by providing a projection on the surface 244 which, at the completion of a cycle, nudges wheel 306 and activates switch 310 to interrupt a primary operating electrical circuit (not shown).

Cam follower wheel 312 which activates the slicing cycle control mechanism, rides upon the surface 246 of the cam 236 and is attached to one end of lever 314 which is pivoted about a screw 316 positioned at a point which is approximately midway between the ends of the lever 314. At the other end 320 of the lever 314 is supported one end of arm 318 which has a finger 322 pivotably mounted on and projecting at an angle from the other end thereof. The free end of the finger 322 engages a shoulder on the latch 324 to retain it in open position against the force of the spring 326 which bears upon latch 324 and stud 328. The latch 324 with its associated spring 326 and stud 328 is mounted upon the disc 330 which is capable of eccentric rotation within collar 332 on the shaft 334 (best seen in FIGURE 8), which also mounts the star gear 336. As will be described more completely hereinafter, the shaft 334 continuously rotates when the motor is in operation due to its connection with shaft 256.

It can now be seen that, when a projection of the camming surface 246 of the cam 236 encounters the cam follower wheel 312, the arm 318 is forced upwardly in response to the action of the pivoting lever 314. Such upward movement of the arm 318 results in lateral displacement of finger 322 and disengagement thereof from the shoulder on the latch 324, which, in turn, allows the spring 326 to force the latch 324 to engage the star gear 336, which, it will be recalled, is on the continuously rotating shaft 334. Since the latch 324 is mounted upon the disc 330, its engagement with the rotating star gear 336 will cause the disc 330 and latch 324 to revolve eccentrically about the axis provided by the shaft 334. Revolution of the eccentric disc 330 within the collar 332 results in displacement of the collar 332 vertically until, at the completion of one full revolution, the finger 322 reengages the shoulder in the latch 324 and cause-s disengagement of the latch 324 from the star gear 336, thus stopping the vertical movement of the collar 332.

Since the collar 332 is attached by means of pin 338 to the tie-bar 56 which passes through support brackets 340, 342 and is attached to the slicing blade 46 by means of the pin 58, it is seen that revolution of the eccentric disc 330 causing vertical movement of the collar 332 forces the tie-bar 56 down and then up resulting in a slicing action of the pivotably mounted slicing blade 46. By this mechanism, the web material is cut into a predetermined length at a desired point during the dispensing cycle, as is determined by the placement of the projection on the camming surface 246.

Turning now to FIGURE 8, the arrangement by which the star gear 336 of the slicing cycle control mechanism is caused to rotate is clearly depicted. The shaft 256 which is in constant engagement, through pinion 254, with the motor 90 is journalled in the frame portion 344 and has mounted thereon the pinion 346 which meshes with the pinion 348 on the shaft 334, also supports the star gear 336 for concurrent rotation.

In operation of the web dispensing machine, a dry cycle is initiated by depressing the proper one of the push button switches 106, 108, thus closing the primary circuit of a relay such as 350 shown in FIGURE 4. A secondary circuit of the relay 350 is in electrical connection with the circuit of a solenoid (not shown) that actuates the cam 82 and positions that cam so as to ensure that the path directing member 74 is in the proper lower position shown in FIGURE 2. Also in electrical connection with the relay 350 is a solenoid 352 shown in FIGURE 4 which has an arm 354 attached to a linkage 356. Referring to FIGURES 5 and 7, the linkage 356 is secured to the shaft 358 which is rotatably mounted in the bracket 258 and frame portion 276. As is best seen in FIGURE 7 a lever arm 360 is rigidly attached to the other end of shaft 358 (a portion of lever arm 360 having been broken away to expose the cam follower wheel 288), and a projection 362 on the end of the lever arm 360 bears against the flat outer surface of the dual-surfaced cam 240 which is mounted for axial movement on shaft 232. It will now be appreciated that actuation of the solenoid 354 by the relay 350 causes rotation of the solenoid 354 to the position indicated in FIGURE 3 and properly positions the linkage 356 and ensures that the shaft 358 will pivot the lever arm 360 (if necessary) to locate the proper camming surface 250 under the cam follower wheel 288.

While all of the foregoing is occurring, relay 350 also completes the electrical circuit for the motor 90, which is preferably a shaded-pole motor. The motor 90 starts rotating and, while it builds up torque, there is essentially no load on it. The motor 90 does, however, cause rotation of the shaft 232 upon which the bank of cams 234, 236, 238, 241) is mounted.

Describing now the sequence of events initiated by the camming surfaces, as the bank of cams rotates, the cam follower wheel 298 encounters a depression in the camming surface 248 of cam 238. This, by the means previously described, allows the helical spring 268 to slide the clutch plate 264 into contact with the clutch driving member 260 and, in response, pulley 272 begins turning and drives pulley 364 which is connected thereto by belt 266, both of which are depicted in FIGURE 4. Pulley 364 is afiixed to shaft 144' and serves to drive belts 132, 134 directly and also driving rolls 122, 124 by means not shown. Accordingly, by the engagement of friction plate 264 and clutch driving member 260, web material is unwound from the roll 16 and is conveyed through the slicing blades 46, 48 and into the nip of bolts 132, 134. Simultaneously, a sheet of web material loaded between belts 132, 134 by the immediately previous operation of the machine, is conveyed from belts 132, 134 through the guide plates 152, 153 over the platform 78 and into the nip of belts 158, 180.

At the same time that the cam follower wheel 298 encounters a depression in camming surface 248, cam follower wheel 288 encounters a depression in the camming surface 250 of cum 240. In a manner similar to that described above, the friction plate 266 engages the clutch driving member 262 and causes pulley 274 to rotate which in turn drives pulley 368 by means of belt 376 as seen in FIGURE 3. Pulley 363 is secured to shaft and thereby drives belt 158 while belt is driven concurrently by means not shown. Thus, web material delivered into the nip of belts 158, 180 is conveyed through the outlet portion 12 to the consumer, thereby supplying a sheet of dry web material.

At the completion of the operation just described, a projection in the camming surface 246 of the cam 236 cucounters the cam follower wheel 312 as is seen in FIGURE 7 to initiate the slicing cycle which has been previously described. Subsequent to the completion of the slicing cycle, a projection in camming surface 244 on cam 234 encounters the cam follower wheel 386 which activates the switch 310 to break the electrical circuits and terminate operation of the machine.

The wet cycle, which will now be considerd, is initiated by depressing the proper one of the push button switches 106, 108. This completes the circuit in a relay (not shown, but similar to relay 350) which is electrically coupled to the motor 90, the activating means for cam 82, and also the rotary solenoid 352. This relay closes the proper circuit to actuate the cam 82 so that it rotates to the alternate position shown in FIGURE 3 wherein the path directing member 74 is lifted vertically, and actuates the rotary solenoid 352 so that it turns to the alternate position indicated in dotted line in FIGURE 4. This movement shifts the linkage 356 and rotates the shaft 358 slightly so that the projection 362 on the lever arm 360 bears upon the fiat outside surface of cam 240, forcing it to slide axially against the force of helical spring 240 so that the cam follower wheel 288 rides on cam surface 252 rather than cam surface 250 as was the case with the dry cycle.

In a manner similar to that previously indicated, the shaded-pole motor 90 also begins to rotate which in turn causes the bank of cams 234, 236, 238, 240 to revolve with shaft 232. In the wet cycle, the operation is precisely the same as in the dry cycle with regard to cam-s 238, 236, and 234. That is, the pretravel and loading operations of the web material up to the path-directing member 74, the operation of the slicing assembly, and that of the cutoff switch are exactly the same. Since the earn 240, however, has been shifted so as to present a different camming surface to the cam follower wheel 288, the operation from that cam is somewhat modified.

The basic difference is that the cam surface 252 has a depression which is of greater length than that of cam surface 250 which allows the friction plate 266 to engage the clutch driving member 262 for a longer period of time. This is necessary because the path through the liquid in the container 30 is somewhat longer than the direct path from the path-directing member 74 to the outlet portion 12. -It will be recalled that, when the path-directing member 74 is in the raised position, the web material from the guide plates 152, 153 encounters the deflection surface 80 of the path-directing member 74 and is guided into the nip formed between cylindrical element 64 of the cylinder 62 and belt 196. Cylinder 62 is driven by a sprocket and chain arrangement (not shown) which is connected from the hub 66 of the cylinder 62 to the shaft 170' which is driven by the belt 370 from the pulley 74. Thus, the cylinder 62 is driven during both the dry and wet cycles; however, due to the increased length of the depression in the camming surface 252, the duration of the driving cycle for cylinder 62 is longer during the wet cycle to accommodate the travel time necessary for the increased path through the liquid. As was previously mentioned, after passing through the liquid, the web material is removed from the cylindrical element 64 onto the pickup roll 72 from which it is conveyed by the belts 158, 180 through the outlet portion 12.

When it is desired to obtain a hot sheet of web material, the two-position switch 110* is moved to the proper location. When the web dispensing machine is thereafter activated by either pushing the wet or dry cycle pushbutton (but preferably only by pushing the wet pushbutton), the heat radiating lamp 84 will be turned on. Generally, the heating device will remain on throughout the entire web dispensing cycle until the cutofif switch 310 disrupts power to the machine. It is desirable to have the heat source on at the beginning of the cycle so that a time for preheating prior to the period of actual exposure of the web material to the heat source can be provided. Most desirably, as was previously mentioned, a thermal radiating device 87 will be positioned opposite the heat source and below the plane of travel of the web material and heated during the preheating phase so that the web can be heated on both sides.

It should be noted, with reference to FIGURES 1 and 4, the means are provided for facilitating initial loading of paper between the pressure rolls 114, 116. Pressure roll 116 is mounted for vertical movement in frame portions and shaft 120 is provided on either end with narrow portions 372 which have knurled handles 374. The shaft 126 of the pressure roll 116 is supported from above by U-shaped springs 376 on either side, which are attached to the frame portions 21 by studs 378 projecting laterally therefrom. The narrow portions 372 are receivable in clips 380 which are disposed under these portions and secured to the frame portion 20 by studs 382. Accordingly, when it is desired to load paper between pressure rolls 114, 116, the pressure roll 116 can be pulled downwardly against the tension of spring 376 and the narrow portions 372 retained in clips 3-80 while the web material is inserted between the rolls. Thereafter, by pushing upwardly on the handles 374, the narrow portions 372 will be released from the clips 380 and the web material will be pressed between the rolls 114, 116 by the force of springs 376 bearing upwardly upon the pressure roll 116.

Accordingly, it can be seen that the present invention provides web-dispensing machines which are selectively operable to dispense web material in either a wet or dry condition, and which are in addition capable of dispensing web material which may be heated to an elevated temperature. Because discrete lengths of web material are conveyed to the web wetting mechanism, the machines of the present invention provide sheets of material which are either wholly dry or wet over substantially their entire length. An automatic slicer is also provided for cutting web material from a continuous roll thereof into predetermined lengths, and the slicer operates in cooperation with the web advancing mechanism of the machines. As is apparent from the hereinbefore described mechanical relationships the sequence of events in these machines may be such that during each cycle thereof the feed conveyor means to the slicer does not operate after the slicer is actuated. This simplifies design and operation in some respects since critical relationships between speeds, travel distances and sheet lengths need not be established or maintained.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. A wet and dry web-dispensing machine comprising a chassis with an outlet portion; a web source; a web wetting mechanism in a flow path in said chassis from said web source to said outlet portion; liquid supply means associated with said web wetting mechanism; feed means for furnishing and serially conveying discrete and relatively short lengths of web material from said web source in said flow path toward said web wetting mechanism and said outlet portion; conveyor means for transporting the discrete lengths of web material between said feed means and said outlet portion to discharge the discrete lengths from the machine; and control means selectively operative to dispense dry web material and to cause said web wetting mechanism to effect contact between liquid from said liquid supply means and substantially the entire length of a discrete length of web material to dispense wet Web material.

2. The machine of claim 1 including heating means for heating the web material prior topassage thereof to said outlet portion.

3. The machine of claim 2 wherein said heating means comprises an infrared lamp and reflector therefor and wherein a fan is additionally provided for the circulation and dissipation of heat.

4. The machine of claim 1 wherein said web source is a continuous roll of web material rotatably supported within said chassis and wherein said feed means includes slicing means for cutting said web material into discrete lengths and feed conveyor means for conveying web material between said roll and said slicing means.

5. The machine of claim 4 wherein said feed conveyor means is inoperative subsequent to operation of said slicing means during each cycle of operation.

6. The web dispensing machine of claim 1 wherein said liquid supply means comprises a reservoir for liquid and wherein said web wetting mechanism comprises a cylinder rotatably mounted within said reservoir for receiving web material and conveying web material through the liquid in said reservoir.

7. The web dispensing machine of claim 1 wherein said control means comprises path directing means selectively operable to allow direct passage of web material along a direct course to said outlet portion, and to divert web material from said direct course along a second course to said web wetting mechanism and thence in a path to said outlet portion.

8. The machine of claim 7 wherein said path directing means comprises a diverter along said path of the web material to said outlet portion selectively operable between two positions, one of which allows direct passage along said direct course to said outlet portion and the other of which causes diversion therefrom along said second course.

9. The web-dispensing machine of claim 1 wherein said control means includes an electrically actuated solenoid.

10. A wet and dry web dispensing machine comprising a chassis with an outlet portion; support means having a continuous roll of web material rotatably supported thereon; a web wetting mechanism in a flow path between said roll and said outlet portion; liquid supply means associated with said web wetting mechanism; path directing means positioned in said flow path ahead of said web wetting mechanism and selectively operable to allow passage of web material along a direct course to said outlet portion and to divert web material from said direct course along a second course to said web wetting mechanism; slicing means in said flow path ahead of said path directing means for cutting a continuous length of web material from said roll into discrete and relatively short lengths of web material; feed conveyor means for serially conveying lengths of web material from said roll in a flow path toward said web wetting mechanism and said outlet portion; and conveyor means for transporting the discrete lengths of web material between said feed conveyor means and said outlet to discharge a discrete length from the machine, the discrete lengths of Web material passed along said direct course to said outlet portion being dispensed in a dry condition and those diverted along said second 13 course to said web wetting mechanism being wetted over substantially their entire lengths.

11. The machine of claim 10 wherein said feed conveyor means is inoperative subsequent to operation of said slicing means during each cycle of operation.

12. The machine of claim 10 wherein said path directing means comprises a diverter.

13. A wet and dry web dispensing machine comprising a chassis having an outlet portion, support means having a continuous roll of Web material rotatably supported thereon, a reservoir for liquid positioned within said chassis along a flow path between said roll of web material and outlet portion, a cylinder rotatably mounted within said reservoir for receiving and conveying web material through a liquid in said reservoir, means for supplying a liquid to said reservoir, a selectively operative diverter positioned in said flow path ahead of said cylinder for selectively diverting web material to a second course onto said cylinder from a direct course to said outlet portion, slicing means in said flow path ahead of said diverter for cutting a continuous length of web material from said roll into discrete and relatively short lengths, feed conveyor means for conveying web material from said roll toward said web Wetting mechanism and outlet portion, conveyor means for transporting the discrete lengths of Web material between said feed conveyor means and said outlet portion to discharge the discrete lengths from the machine, auxiliary conveyor means to carry web material through a liquid in said reservoir in cooperation with said cylinder and thereafter to return it to a point beyond said diverter along said direct course, and drive means for said conveyor means, cylinder, auxiliary conveyor means, feed conveyor means, and slicing means, whereby discrete lengths of Web material may be dispensed. in either an en tirely dry or an entirely Wet condition.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 807,467 12/ 1905 Humphrey 1l8---41 1,869,806 8/1932 Gale 118-40 2,710,590 6/ 1955 Gerard l1865 3,084,664 4/ 1963 Perlman et a1 118235 3,130,079 4/1964 VonMiester 118-642 X-R WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner ROBERT I. SMITH, Assistant Examiner 

